How Far Along Valerian 2 Actually Is, According To Luc Besson

Luc Besson has been hard at work on Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets for several years now. The director even previously admitted that he has been thinking about an adaptation of the French science fiction comic since as far back as 1997, when he was working on The Fifth Element. But now that he's been able to dip his toes into this world, the French filmmaker doesn't want to stop, as he's now admitted that he's already working on the script for a potential Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planetssequel. Besson explained:

I am writing already. ... I like to be ready in case it is working. If it doesn't work, you're always ready. There's nothing to prep. But if we're lucky and people like the film, I would love to do a second one for sure. Because I love the characters. They are fun together. Every time I see Cara and [Dane DeHaan], I get [fake cries].

Luc Besson made this admission to myself and a group of other journalists in New York City on Monday morning after we attended an early screening of the newest trailer for Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets. During this discussion, he also pointed out that he has a wealth of choice when it comes to selecting the source material for a potential follow-up, as the comic book series ran from 1967 all the way to 2010. Clearly he has a few at the forefront of his mind, too, as Besson teased to us that he's already made his decision regarding the stores he'd like to focus on in a potential future film. However, he rather wisely refused to divulge the names of them.

Clearly the French director had a delightful time working with Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne, who play Valerian and Laureline, respectively, on Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets. Not only did he note that he particularly enjoyed watching their on-screen chemistry develop through the film, but he even candidly confessed that doing so made him particularly weepy. You can get a sense of DeHaan and Delevingne's camaraderie in the film, as well as just how visually resplendent and action-packed it looks, by watching the very first trailer for Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets below.

Of course, certain things need to happen before a sequel for Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets is greenlit. The most important of which is it grossing well over the $180 million that the studios spent bringing it to the big-screen. We'll see if Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets can do just that when it's finally released later this summer on July 26. Meanwhile, stick close to CinemaBlend for further updates regarding Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets, and its impending new trailer, over the next few days.